Kurt Warner says Arizona Cardinals need a lot more than a quarterback

If he would've just followed an Arizona tradition and been an over-the-hill, bargain-priced, fading star like Emmitt Smith or Joey Porter, we wouldn't have seen the view from the NFL penthouse.

We wouldn't have such high expectations at quarterback.

So now what?

"I don't know," Warner said. "I think the Cardinals need a lot of things. You don't win five games if you're only a piece or two away."

Still, Warner knows a lot about Marc Bulger, who is expected to be on Ken Whisenhunt's free-agent wish list. The Cardinals coach wanted to sign Bulger last season, but upper management already had invested millions in Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson. The Bidwill family would spend not a penny more.

"The biggest thing is, I don't know where Marc is right now (mentally)," Warner said. "If he's the Marc that I know, then he's a good fit for the system. He's a very similar quarterback to me and what I did."

That's high praise, and the irony would be spectacular. Bulger once was Warner's successor in St. Louis. His ascension prompted the Rams to discard their local legend, sending Warner on a path that finally ended in Arizona.

Bulger will be 34 next season, the same age as Warner when he joined the Cardinals.

Difference is, Bulger hasn't posted a decent quarterback rating since 2006 and has won only five times in his past 35 starts. He took a pounding during his tenure in St. Louis and gladly signed with the Ravens as a backup. He never has been known as a guy who needs football as much as he needs oxygen.

Those are the red flags. But there's some good stuff, too.

"He's a very accurate quarterback, a guy who can throw the ball down the field," Warner said. "He's very much in the mold of what I am. We were together for one season, and when he was young, he was as talented as anyone I've ever been around.

"I know him as a guy. Love him. We were really good friends. If he has something left, then as a couple-year fix, then he could be a good guy. But I've never been in the huddle with him."

Consider that a very careful endorsement.

Meanwhile, Warner likes Donovan McNabb, but not for Whisenhunt's system. He likes Kevin Kolb, but the Eagles backup is not worth trading the No. 5 pick in the draft. He acknowledges there aren't a lot of appetizing options to be found, although a Heisman Trophy winner might be within arm's reach.

My affinity for Cam Newton's size, athleticism and star power has been well-documented. But less than 24 hours after Auburn's BCS title-game victory over Oregon, a detail emerged that made me a little apprehensive.

On the play preceding the game-winning field goal, Newton was instructed to take a knee by his coach. Instead, Newton tried to score a touchdown, thus ending the game on his terms. He was hit immediately and knocked backward, extremely lucky that he held onto the football.

That stuff won't go over well in the NFL.

"I think he's a great college quarterback who can throw the ball well and has every intangible you're looking for," Warner said. "But the one thing I always tell people is that, at this level, you don't win with running quarterbacks. It just doesn't happen.

"As great as Michael Vick played this year, when it came down to it, he had to win games in the pocket. And his team was eliminated in the first round. This is not a knock on Newton or how great a player he is or can be. There's just a big difference in the way the game is played in the NFL."

So, what should the Cardinals do?

"They need playmakers," Warner said. "They need guys who can make big plays for them at critical times in games. I see that, of the four big guys they replaced (Warner, Anquan Boldin, Karlos Dansby, Antrel Rolle), Kerry Rhodes was the one guy that met expectations. He was the one guy who made plays and changed the complexion of games. But that's just one out of four.

"I have a lot of confidence in Coach Wiz, and the way he does things. But you have to have the players. It's not easy replacing great leaders and great playmakers."